Monday, October 09, 2006

Sacramento - On the deadline for filing disclosure of campaign contributions, banks and insurance companies are pouring money into defeating Proposition 89. On Saturday, October 7th, frontrunner Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will engage in his one and only debate against Democratic challenger Phil Angelides. As Election Day draws near – once again other state candidates throughout California are doing their best to duck tough public debates. Instead of facing the voters, the press and their opponents, too many candidates prefer to let their attack ads do all the talking.Proposition 89, the Clean Money and Fair Elections Act, will end this debate ducking and require that candidates face the public in at least two debates. If Proposition 89 passes on November 7th, any state candidate who accepts public funding for their campaigns must participate in at least one primary debate and two general election debates.And it’s the same in races across the state – both Democrats and Republicans are hiding from critical public forums.Clean Election Now – Yes on 89 Executive Director, Susan Lerner, said, “Clearly the big boys are getting scared of how Prop 89 would clean up California elections. The disclosures from recent days show that the banks and insurance companies are dumping cash into defeating Prop 89. They know that their interests lie in continuing to control the debate with negative attack ads. Voters deserve to hear substantive conversations about issues. They shouldn’t be relegated to watching mud on television with no public accountability.”League of Women Voters of California President Jacqueline Jacobberger said, “The League of Women Voters has been working for years to help moderate substantive political debates. One of the reasons we are working so hard to pass Prop. 89 is the requirement that clean money candidates participate in public debates in the primary and general elections.”If passed by California voters on November 7th, Proposition 89 would establish a voluntary “Clean Money” system for full public financing of election campaigns modeled upon successful programs already in place in Arizona and Maine and recently adopted by Connecticut. It is designed to level the election playing field, open up the ballot to more good candidates, and stop political corruption by making elected officials accountable to voters, not big money donors.For more information on Proposition 89:www.89Now.org www.Yeson89.org www.Latinosfor89.org